


The Happiness We Deserve

by ryujisakamotolovemail



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Gen, I just want them to be happy, M/M, Minor Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Minor Sakura Futaba/Takamaki Ann, Persona 5: The Royal, Persona 5: The Royal Bad Ending, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal Third Semester Spoilers, i love them all so much, pegoryu, please let akira have a break he needs it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryujisakamotolovemail/pseuds/ryujisakamotolovemail
Summary: MAJOR PERSONA 5: THE ROYAL SPOILERS FOR THIRD SEMESTERAkira Kurusu has a tough decision to make: to create his own happy future or accept Maruki’s reality, where his friends are already happy.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji, Sakura Futaba/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	The Happiness We Deserve

**Author's Note:**

> Please Atlus I just want them to be happy is that too much to ask.

“So I’m assuming you’ve made your decision then?” said Akechi’s voice from the phone.  
Akira had just got back to Leblanc after visiting the last of his friends. They all seemed so happy. This is the life they wanted; Morgana is finally human and has a chance Lady Ann; Ryuji is the star of the track team; Ann will finally get to go to school with Shiho again; Madarame is the mentor Yusuke always wanted; Makoto and Sae are happy with their dad; Futaba finally has her family back; and Haru has a good relationship with her father. The more he thinks about them, the more he doesn’t want to change it. What right does he have to rid them of the lives they’ve always wanted? Maruki said he could do the same for him, he could get the happy ending he wanted so desperately.  
But that meant he would forget. He would forget everything they had been through; everything the Phantom Thieves had accomplished. The reason they even became friends in the first place. The threats that had brought them together would no longer exist, so what would that do to their friendships?  
Why did he have to make this decision for all of them himself? For the whole world? He knows it wouldn’t be right to erase the work they had done to get here; barely scraping through it alive only to completely rewrite the past as if they never existed.   
This wasn’t the first time he had held the weight of the world; the future, on his shoulders. However this time, he doesn’t know if he can bear it.  
He hesitated before saying, “yes, I’ve made up my mind.”  
“Good,” Akechi said, “I will meet you at the palace tomorrow then.”  
He hung up with a click and Akira wished he had asked Akechi what he was thinking about.  
He went to sleep wishing that things could be easier for him, even just this one time.

——————————-

Akira looked away from Maruki, to Kasumi. No, Sumire. Maruki was right, she didn’t look like she was in pain, her face was calm, as if she was sleeping. Did he really have the right to take away her happiness? This was the life she wanted, to ba Kasumi instead of Sumire. If he accepted Maruki’s offer, he could live a happy life too. Free from pain and suffering. It did sound very enticing.  
But then the entire world would be under Maruki’s control. The future the Phantom Thieves has worked so hard for would vanish. This is what everyone wanted though, right? Akira could finally be happy too. Finally free from the weight of the world, with friends and found family. His criminal record gone, and finally freed from his personal prison. He could break out of the walls he built, and stop being afraid of his every action, every word.  
He could finally be himself. Maybe he could even tell Ryuji...  
He glanced at Akechi. What did he really want? He insisted that Akira should deny Maruki’s offer because he ‘didn’t want anyone else in control of his own life anymore’, which he understood. However, didn’t Akechi want to be happy? To finally be free from the burdens of his past and his father?  
Both Akechi and Maruki silently waited, watching Akita’s face for any indication of what his decision would be.  
Akechi finally broke the silence. “Have you made up your mind yet?” He said aggressively. “I’d like to get this fight over with as soon as possible.”  
Akira took a deep breath, eyes slowly moving from Akechi, to Kasumi, and then to Maruki.  
“I accept your offer.”  
“What? Are you sure that’s really what you want?” Akechi said, looking even more pissed than before.  
“Yes, it is,” Akira said simply.  
Maruki smiled. “I’m glad you made the right choice. Just leave the rest to me.”  
“WAIT-“ Akechi started, but Maruki snapped his fingers and everything went dark.

————————————

A shiver shook Akita’s body, waking him up from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, the crates creaking under the mattress. He reached over the edge of the bed for his glasses, but stopped himself. Since when did he have glasses?  
The sound of the stairs creaking made him lose his train of thought and saw Morgana standing there. Wait, that was Morgana, right?  
“Everyone is downstairs eating breakfast already, hurry up and get ready,” he said before heading back down.  
Akira shook his head and stood up. What was he thinking? How could that be anyone else?  
He quickly got changed and went to eat breakfast with Sojiro, Wakaba, Morgana and Futaba.

—————————————

“I can’t believe we’re graduating,” said Haru, clutching her diploma.  
“Me too,” Makoto replied, “I feel like this year went by so fast, thanks to everyone.”  
“Of course! This year was totally the best! It’s gonna be lonely without you guys here next year, though,” said Ann. “We’ll still see each other lots, though!”  
“I’m gonna be going to Shujin next year, so you guys won’t ever get lonely!” Futaba said excitedly.  
“Oh, we will be in the same year then, won’t we Futaba-chan?” Kasumi asked.  
“Yep! It’s gonna be lots of fun!” Futaba glanced at Ann, her face getting red, and quickly looked at her feet. “A-and besides, Akira is staying for next year too!”  
“Boss is letting you stay?” Makoto asked  
“Dude, why didn’t you tell us?” Ryuji exclaimed.  
“I only found out a little while ago,” Akira said, twisting his bangs between his fingers  
Yusuke looked distressed. “Perhaps I should transfer to Shujin as well...”  
“Maybe I should become a high school student too...” said Morgana, watching Ann forlornly.  
“Yeah, you totally should! Then next year will be just as awesome as this year!” Ryuji said, putting an arm around Akira’s shoulders. “You know it’s gonna be amazin’ when this guy is there!”  
Akira felt his cheeks get warm as he leaned into his touch.  
“I never thought I would be so sad to graduate,” Haru said.  
Their conversation dissolved into chatter, laughter filling the air.  
“Ah, I thought I would find you all here.”  
It was Akechi, who smiled. “Congratulations on graduating,” he said, nodding at Makoto and Haru.  
“You too,” Makoto replied. “Do you have any plans for after graduating?”  
“I’d like to lay low for a while, away from the media, and take a year off before attending university. After how hard I’ve been working for the past few years, I think a break would be well deserv-“  
“Oooh, why don’t we all take a picture together! So we can remember how fun this year was!” Ann interrupted him.  
Everyone agreed quickly and Akira fished out his phone from his pocket.  
Akira stepped back as everyone else got into position. Akechi put a hand on his shoulder. “I can take the photo so you can be in it too.” He smiled.  
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you like to be in it too?” Kasumi asked.  
“No, it’s quite all right. It wouldn’t be the same if Akira wasn’t in it.” He said as Akira handed him his phone and went to stand beside Ryuji.  
“Is everyone ready? On the count of three...” Akechi started, but stopped when a man walked up beside him.  
“I can take the photo for you, if you’d like.” He smiled, although his bowler hat was pulled down, obscuring his eyes. Akira had the strange feeling he had seen him before, however his mind drew a blank when he tried to remember how. He’d met a lot of people in Tokyo, after all. “You’re all friends aren’t you? It would be a shame if you couldn’t be in it.”  
“I appreciate it,” Akechi said, giving him the phone, and stood beside Kasumi.  
“Okay, ready?” he asked.  
Haru and Makoto moved closer together, both of their cheeks pink. Ann threw an arm around Futaba with a peace sign, who looked like she was going to die of embarrassment. Yusuke did a dramatic pose with his hand by his face, Kasumi laughing at him. Akechi and Morgana smiled at the camera, and Ryuji wrapped his arm around Akira, the latter shyly holding onto his waist as Ryuji pulled them closer together.  
“And.... Done!” the man handed the phone back to Akira, Ryuji still attached to his side.  
“Thank you!” Akira called after the man, who was already walking away. He waved a hand back to him to say ‘you’re welcome’. Akira was still puzzled as to who he was and why he thought he knew him.  
Ryuji pulled him back towards the group and out of his thoughts. “Come on ‘Kira, lemme see it!” he said, wrapping his arms around Akira’s waist and resting his head on Akira’s shoulder to get a better look at the picture.  
“Give me a second, ‘Yuji,” Akira said as pulled up the photo, snaking his arm around Ryuji’s shoulders.  
He then passed the phone around everyone else, Futaba making fun of Yusuke’s pose, and Kasumi laughing along with them.  
Akira pressed a kiss into Ryuji’s hair, which earned him a nudge and a kiss of his own on Akira’s cheek.  
“Come on dude, what’re you bein’ all sappy for?” Ryuji asked, although he was grinning.  
“I love you,” Akira said as he pulled him even closer and rested his head on top of Ryuji’s.  
“Love you too,” Ryuji said softly, a blush dusted across his cheeks.  
He was about to smother his boyfriend in kisses when Futaba interrupted.  
“Ew! Stop being gross, at least wait until you’re alone in the attic!”  
Everyone laughed; Ryuji’s arms around him, and Akira had never been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually got the true ending, but I watched to other new Royal endings, and this one made me cry so of course I had to make it about Pegoryu.


End file.
